Having the opportunity to get their cars out onto a purpose-built race track was a unique experience for many who got along to the first running of the Kiwinats Powerplay on Saturday, November 15 at the Mike Pero Motorsport Park in Christchurch.

Much like the main Kiwinats event, but in a shortened one-day format, the event is open to all vehicles, and over the course of the day, cars were sent out in groups to cruise the track, with different sessions allocated for those wishing to try their hands at drifting.

The one-day event attracted 60-odd cars, with some unusual creations hitting the track, from a rust-covered ’58 Chev, that proved that you should never judge a book by its cover, to a Viva and Anglia both fitted with large V8s.

The drifting sessions saw a field of around 20 cars trying their hand at some sideways action, and it wasn’t just the tuner boys either, with a small number of V8s getting in on the action. Among the Toyotas, Nissans, and Subarus, there was a seriously tough V8 Ford Capri, which may have been better designed for some straight-line stuff but it wasn't shying away from giving it a go, and a Holden ute and a tough supercharged V8 Valiant coupe also got involved. Fun was the name of the game, and by the looks of it, fun is what they got.

Cruising was stopped mid-afternoon to allow the burnout competition to take place. Approximately 20 cars took the opportunity to turn their tyres into smoke in an effort to entertain the crowd. With some finding the going tough on such a sticky pad, others had no trouble creating plenty of smoke. The only downside was that the Canterbury wind was blowing quite hard which was dispersing the smoke too quickly, but regardless, the crowd totally enjoyed the spectacle, and it’s not hard to see why!

Rod Dunn

Born and bred in Central Otago, I moved to Christchurch in 1995. I’ve had several different jobs over the years, from being a kiln operator, to running my own handyman business, and currently I'm the Maintenance Manager at the Wigram Airforce Museum. I'm happily married to my wife Anne-Marie, and between us we have six children — all living away from home now.
Photography has been a consistent interest throughout my life, and I've always had a passion for cars, so it was just natural that I would end up photographing them. I also love to do landscape photography whenever I get the chance.
I began contributing to NZV8 magazine in 2012 and have gone on to become NZV8's South Island correspondent, photographing and writing both feature car and event articles. I love meeting people and shooting their cars, as well as covering shows for the mag. Long may it continue.

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